The Deal
by Mareo and Anime
Summary: Tails is glad of his new companion, but wait till he meets her workmates... Contains TailsOC [Recent stuff] This has been sliced into chapters this time! COMPLETED!
1. Meeting

**Sonic eXtra  
**  
Hello to everyone who will read this!  
  
Welcome to my first sonic story. (Oh, B.T.W, I'm messing with the ages and dates/eras a bit, so no-one E-mail me complaining about it.) ;P.  
  
P.s.: means scene change,  
'Blah' : means thinking.  
  
Now, enjoy!  
  
The sun blazed down on the glistening white permafrost as a lone figure struggled to run, through the settlement, from the monstrosity underneath her. She slipped and fell, grazing her elbows on the rough ice. She struggled to her feet as a circle of teeth shredded where she had been seconds before. Her only thought was:  
  
'Godda keep it away from innocent people... it's me it wants...'  
  
She leaped onto the nearest vehicle to hand, ignoring the owner's obscene words of displeasure, kick started the engine and raced away to the airport, hoping to leave it behind...

* * *

"Finally some time to relax..." murmured Sonic, more to himself than to Tails. The 19-year-old hedgehog shifted slightly on his log as the sun slowly sank below the level of the trees, catching the last rays of heat on his blue spikes, his once red and white trainers (his only clothing) now caked with mud.  
  
"Don't know what you mean." said Tails, a smirk on his 14-year-old foxy face and both his tails twisting absent-mindedly. He had a reason to smirk. His only job had been to attach the roof plating on the houses of Knothole.  
  
Sonic opened one eye and gave a warning glare to him. He took the hint.  
  
"(Of course it might have been easier for you if you hadn't sneaked away with 'Aunt' Sally like that...)" whispered Tails.  
  
Sonic's eyes snapped open and punched his friend in the arm, mumbling something about 'getting more wood'.  
  
"Riiiight," said Tails with a voice dripping with sarcasm, rubbing his arm. "And I suppose you two coming back with bits of twig in your hair is just a coincidence, then?"  
  
Sonic went slightly red under the eyes and pretended he hadn't heard that.  
  
Their talk was interrupted by:  
  
"Um, Excuse me?"  
  
Sonic glanced up at her and didn't give her much thought. Tails did likewise, but his eyes snapped back to her and he quietly said:  
  
"...Wow"  
  
For standing before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.  
  
She was about his height, about 13-14 years old, with long, smooth, blue hair that partially came over her amber-colored eyes, held back by a gold-colored headband. One tooth came over her bottom lip, so she had a quite threatening look about her. She wore a sleeveless black tank top, slightly too small for her, and a black mini-skirt. She had white red shoes on and her fur was pure white. Tails could tell at once she was an arctic fox.  
  
"I was wondering if you could help Me.," she asked. She spoke with a slightly Australian accent.  
  
"That depends on what help you need." said Sonic lazily, closing his eyes again.  
  
But Tails at once got to his feet and said, with a slightly panicky tone,  
  
"Sure, what can we do?"  
  
Even Sonic was surprised.  
  
"Well," she said, looking slightly flattered, "I'm new around here and I need somewhere to stay. Do you know anywhere?"  
  
"Well, sure," started Sonic. "There's-"  
  
"Our place!" interrupted Tails, looking back at Sonic with a pleading look in his eyes. Sonic was puzzled for a moment, then he realized what his friend was talking about. He hid his smile, leaned back and said:  
  
"O.K., why not?"  
  
"Aw, you ripper, mate!" exclaimed the girl. They stared at her, surprised. Slightly blushing, she said to them both, "Sorry, thanks. My name's Alana by the way." Then she held out her hand for them to shake. Tails took it, and did the last thing he expected.  
  
He kissed it. 


	2. Settling in

Later on, when they were escorting Alana to her temporary home, Tails walked next to Sonic and said:  
  
"Thanks..."  
  
"Aw, don't mention it _little buddy_." he replied "_Especially_ not to Knuckles. And anyway, I wouldn't want to get between you and your new-found _luurve_!" He then started giving big, fake, moony eyes at him until Tails tripped him up. Luckily it was dark, so Sonic didn't see how red he went, or the slight smile on his face.

* * *

"Mademoiselle," said Antoine, putting on his most (he thought) 'suave' face, "It iz a plezure to be meeting one zo beautiful."  
  
"Excuse me?" replied Alana, "Could you say that aga'in in English?"  
  
Antoine looked disgusted that she couldn't understand him, when he was knocked aside by his partner, Bunnie.  
  
"Now you cut that awt, Anto'ne!" she said, looking equally disgusted.  
  
She turned back to Alana and said "Hi, I'm Bunnie. Oblijed t' meet ya'" and held out her hand. Alana was about to take it when she stopped and looked warily at the robotic arm.  
  
Bunnie rolled her eyes and held out the other one. She was used to this, since she had been half-roboticized by Eggman, and her lower half left arm were mechanical.  
  
"And this radiant beauty over here is Princess Sally." said Sonic, indicating a ground squirrel in a pretty blue vest.  
"Aw, shut up, spikes-for-brains!" she said, meaning exactly the opposite. She demonstrated this by stroking under his chin with one finger, looking at him with _the_ eyes.  
  
"Thanks again for lettin' me stay here, you guys," thanked Alana shyly. "You've no idea what's happ-" She looked over their shoulders into a dark corner."Hey, who're you?"  
  
"The name's Knuckles." replied the red echidna, polishing his knuckle spikes against his chest indifferently.  
  
"Nice to meet you." She ventured forward to properly get acquainted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked round to find Tails stopping her.  
  
"(Knuckles is kind of a loner)" he whispered, steering her away. But she couldn't help looking back at him.  
  
"Oh!" exclaimed Bunnie with a mischievous grin on her face. "I've just re'lised somm'in! We havn't arranged anywhere for yaung Alana to snooze tonite! Should we do the 'usual' arrangement, guys?" she added, looking around.  
  
The other's (minus Knuckles) grinned evilly as they knew what was coming.  
  
"Alright Snow-fur, " addressed Bunnie, putting her normal hand on the young fox's shoulder, "We're gowna play a liddle gaime, to see where yaw'l crash tonight. Now all yaw'l have to do, is to find catch the one yaw wan't ta bunk with. All right? Now there are rules ta this.  
One: Yaw'l have to give us a heid start. (Except Sugah-hog) an'  
Two: Yaw'l can use yaw'l abylity, whateiver it is.  
All right? Give us a few second's heid start, then come and geit us."  
  
"O.K." Alana said smoothly "3-2-1"  
  
Everyone instantly turned around and ran out of the mess hall, including knuckles, but he walked instead.  
  
Once their positions were confirmed, they looked towards the mess hall doors and waited.  
  
She sauntered out of the doors, and stood a few feet from the mess hall. Then she stood still, eyes closed, un-moving. They wondered what was wrong, until she opened her eyes again.  
  
They were pitch black.  
  
Then they noticed her hands. They were glowing orange in the dark.  
  
Just then Tails slipped in his hiding place. A twig snapped, her ears twitched, her head turned, her arm straightened, and the last thing Tails knew, was a ball of amber fire heading straight towards him... 


	3. Problem

"I thought he was dead when I caught him..."  
  
"Good job you're that fast."  
  
"_Ohmygod_!! _Ohmygod_!!"  
  
"Calm down, it wasn' yaw'l fault-"  
  
"(It certenley _looks_ zat way...)"  
  
"ANTOINE!!!"  
  
"Sorry (!)"  
  
Noises. Confusion. His face wet. Tails opened his eyes.  
  
He found himself lying on the floor. How did he get there?  
  
He saw everyone standing over him, looking concerned. He then saw Alana, leaning over him on her knees, with tears stains down her face.  
  
"W-what happened?" he asked.  
  
"T-tails, I-I..." she started, but, as tears seeped down her face again, she pulled him up and hugged him, breaking down in fits of tears, burying her face in his shoulder.  
  
He sat, awkward for a second, but, by the looks on the other's faces, he realised what happened, got hold of her shoulders, trying to look here in the eyes, and whispered to her:  
  
"(It's alright...it's alright...)"  
  
He looked at the others and smiled to let them know they were all right. He then kneeled up, put one arm around her shoulders, one arm under her legs and lifted her up without the slightest resistance. The others moved aside as Tails walked to his house, carrying her, careful not to let her tail drag on the floor.  
  
She put her arms loosely around his neck and looked up at him. He glanced down and saw her smiling at him. She hadn't brushed her hair, her eyes were filled with tears, and her fur was stained with dirt, but boy, she was gorgeous. He smiled back at her, and said:  
  
"I guess you're staying at my place."  
  
She choked out a watery laugh, closed her eyes, and put her head against his chest.

* * *

He couldn't sleep. How could he, when, sleeping feet away, was the girl of his dreams. He looked over at her. Her head was tilted back slightly, and she was sleeping soundly, covers to her chin. Her tail hung out of the bed, twitching now and again. Here clothes were hung on the chair at the end of the bed.  
  
He leant up, pushed the covers aside and walked over to her. She didn't move. Then he did it without thinking. He kissed her on the cheek. He stood for a minute, thinking about what he had just done, then walked back to his bunk, checked his clock (1:25 a.m.), got into bed and closed his eyes... 


	4. Nightmares

"_You understand your mission, both of you_?" it hissed, looking between them.  
  
"_Tiu, Yecre'm_." said a small echidness, low on one knee. She glanced up to see how he took this. He gave her a murderous glare. "Err, I mean," she stammered, bowing again. "Yes, master."  
  
"(Cle-ver.)" whispered the Tasmanian devil next to her, smirking at her Egyptian words.  
  
"(_Yaham Yahut_!)" She snarled, glaring at him.  
  
"_ENOUGH_!!" it yelled, causing them both to shiver in combined cold and fear. "_You know you duty."  
_  
"Yes, sir." they answered. They got up, turned and walked out.  
  
"(Great goin'.)" He whispered, elbowing her. "(You're really on his good side now (!))"  
  
"(Aw, stuff it!)" She growled, teeth bared at him.  
  
"(Ooh, scary (!))" he said, with 'slight' sarcasm.  
  
"_Lucifer, Zoi..."_  
  
They stopped, not turning round.  
  
"_Do not think of treachery. I will be following you_..."  
  
They stood for a few seconds, then continued.  
  
"(We've got to get away, somehow!)" Whispered Zoi, squeezing Lucifer's hand, looking at him with tears in her eyes.  
  
"There's no chance," he said, walking out of the cave, dragging her with him. "The fox was the first and, probably, the only one to get away. By the way, let go." he added, pulling his hand out of hers. "We aren't a couple."  
  
She looked poutingly at him, looking a bit dejected...

* * *

Why had she done it?!?  
  
She backed away from the cavern walls in time to avoid the whole wall crashing down on her. She heard the voice, like ice itself:  
  
"_Thou shalt never leave this place alive, mortal! And even if you do, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME, MINION!! I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!!!"_  
  
She didn't look back. She couldn't if she tried. She was using all her energy to get away from this abomination and his minions. She skidded round a corner to the mouth of the cavern, just in time; it turned out, to evade her tail being shredded and blasted off. She screamed to the ice outside:  
  
"HELP ME!! SOMEBODY GET IT AWAY FROM ME!! SOMEONE GET RID OF THE-"  
  
"BANCREK!!" Alana yelped in the darkness of the hut, sitting up sharply, sweat dripping down her face. She covered her mouth and looked over to the other fox. He looked as if he was going to wake, then turned to face her, still asleep, mumbling something.  
  
Alana was relived at once. She was afraid she would have to explain too soon. She got out of bed, walked over to him, and looked at him.  
  
She then brushed his fringe aside, and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
She was puzzled for a moment, about why she did it. Then she realized. She looked longingly at him for a moment longer, then went back to bed... 


	5. Moons?

"_Mornmng mnt mumny_" said Tails thickly.  
  
"Alright, say that again without the chili-dog," sighed Sally wearily.  
  
He choked it down and repeated:  
  
"Morning Aunt Sally."  
  
"Thank you. Morning Tails."  
  
A blue blur zoomed around the mess hall from the doors.  
  
"Morning Sonic." she said. The blur stopped to give Sally a kiss on the cheek and sit down to eat the chilli-dogs he'd scooped up.  
  
"Honestly, Sonic, he's getting as bad as you are!" complained Sally, sitting down next to him.  
  
"Hey, good job, little buddy!" smiled Sonic, patting the fox on the shoulder, and looking sheepishly at Sally.  
  
"That's not what I meant." frowned the disgruntled princess. "This is your breakfast, young man."  
  
She pulled the chilli-dogs away and replaced them with a bowl of oatmeal she had specially made.  
  
"What's this stuff?" he asked, poking it. "Are you sure it hasn't been eaten already?"  
  
"Very funny." She smiled, giving Sonic a look as he snorted with laughter.  
  
He licked his finger. Stopped. Took the spoon and tried some more. And more. And more. Soon the bowl was empty.  
  
"What's up with you?" asked Sally, eying the clean bowl. "Hungry?"  
  
"Na, this stuff is great. You should try this, Sonic." he added, looking at him.  
  
Sonic was about to reply when Alana came in. She had the look of someone who hadn't slept at all. Tails instantly turned red and stood up, ears back. He then muttered an excuse and left the mess hall. Sally, the caring one of the group, glanced at Sonic, and followed him out the doors.  
  
She found him sooner than she thought, leaning against a tree, watching Knuckles and Bunnie practice dukeing-it-out together. She sat down beside him without him noticing, then grabbed him by the shoulders.  
  
"OH! -Oh-hi Aunt Sally." said Tails, calming down.  
  
"What's up then?"  
  
"What's-?" frowned Tails, looking confused.  
  
"With Alana."  
  
"(Oh...)" he muttered, turning away and going red.  
  
She remained silent, then whispered, smiling, "(You like her don't you?)"  
  
"NO!" snapped Tails, so sharply, Bunnie and Knuckles stopped mid-punch to see what was up. Tails went as red as Knuckles and apologized.  
  
They went back to fighting, and, checking they couldn't hear him, said, "well, maybe... but you can't tell anyone!"  
  
She smiled again and said "How about just Sonic?"  
  
"Aunt Sall-yyy!" he began, with a pleading look.  
  
"O.K. then, it's between us." she said.  
  
But as she walked away she thought 'And Sonic. Sorry kid.'

* * *

"This really is a lovely place, " remarked Alana, looking round.  
  
"Yeah, Sonic suggested here me," Tails said, sitting down at the base of the tree. "I forget why it was so special to him."  
  
In fact this was the shooting range, where, usually, there were targets to practice on.  
  
"It has a lovely view of the sunrise," she added, sitting down next to him on her heels. "That's probably why..."  
  
They sat, silent, enjoying each other's company.  
  
"Hey," said Tails, looking up. "The moons are still out."  
  
"Oh, wow..." she said, open mouthed. "I don't usually see them where I come from, even though I know about them. They're beautiful."  
  
"Yeah..." she heard him say. She turned round in time to see him turn his head skyward again, blushing a little.  
  
She guessed what he meant, and, blushing herself, looked up.  
  
"So..." she said, longing to break the silence. "What do you think they look like?"  
  
"Excuse me?" he asked, looking puzzled.  
  
"Oh, it's just, when I was younger, I thought the eight were the heads of some creature. Pretty stupid, I know." she added.  
  
"No," he said, looking at her. "Not really." He was quiet for a few seconds and said, "There are nine."  
  
"What?!?" she complained, looking at him.  
  
"You said there was eight, there are nine."  
  
"What do you mean? There are obviously eight. Look," she said looking up.  
  
"There's Charboynis," she counted. "There's Soherwen, (he looked at her) there's Elbibs, (he half closed his eyes) there's Morrot, (he smiled) there's Xilort, there's-" but she found her stream of words stopped by a finger on her lips.  
  
He moved her head round to face him.  
  
"You talk too much." he said, smiling.  
  
He then moved his finger aside, leaned forwards, and kissed her gently on the lips...  
  
But, unknown to them, someone was watching this tender moment.  
  
"(Doesn't this give you ideas?)" Zoi whispered, moving up against him on the branch, running a finger along the back of his hand.  
  
"(Not interested. This isn't a time to get 'intimate'.)" He said, moving his hand away, focusing on the pair of foxes below. She crossed her arms, frowning at him. 


	6. Whoa

The worm hovered in the stratosphere, staring at the surface of the planet.  
  
"_You cannot escape..."_ it hissed to itself.  
  
Just then a scent of fox drifted across its nostrils. It breathed in deeply, pinpointing where it came from. It turned towards the south.  
  
"_Sssoo, my little ssnow queen has headed towards the tropics. She can't hide from me there_."  
  
It breathed in again, catching several more.  
  
"_And sshe's found another of her kind. He will be delt with. And my agents are in position. Good..."_  
  
Then, with one last icy hiss, he streaked to the southern hemisphere...

* * *

They slowly pulled away, trying to make it go on as long as possible. They eventually found themselves sitting on their heels, with his arms around her waist, and hers around his.  
  
"(Wow...)" she whispered, her breath condensing into mist.  
  
"(Yeah...)"  
  
Then the embarrassment came. Tails went bright red and put his ears down, still smiling.  
  
"Well..." she said, also smiling. "That was unexpected..."  
  
"I-I'm sorry." he said, putting his arms down.  
  
She stopped him, and put his arms back around her.  
  
He looked at her. She looked even more beautiful than she did before. Even her ferocity you got from her overhanging tooth was gone.  
  
"There ain't anything wrong about kissing someone," she said shyly, turning her eyes away and blushing scarlet. "When they feel the same way... The question is," she added, looking back to him, "whether there's anything wrong with wanting to kiss them back..."  
  
He smiled at her.  
Then they both leaned forwards, her cool breath on his lips...  
  
"Alright, I'll set them up, you put them away."  
  
They looked over to the noise in surprise.  
  
"We must have been out longer than we thought..." muttered Tails, ears up. They glanced at each other, and broke apart, Alana straightening out her skirt hurriedly, and Tails flattening his hair, blushing.  
  
But just before they were ready to face whoever was there, Knuckles and Antoine came around the corner. They stopped mid-sentence, realizing that this awkward couple was there.  
  
"And what du yu think yu arre doing out here zo erley?" said an annoyed Antoine to them.  
  
But Knuckles, looking from one to the other, from Alana's red face to Tails's messed up hair, and the way they kept looking away from each other, eventually smirked and said "Ohhh...I see."  
  
"Whatt? Whatt iz it?" asked the confused fox quietly. Knuckles rolled his eyes and, whispering, clued him in on what had just happened. His eyes widened as he heard this, making the couple feel embarrassed and uncomfortable.  
  
"Well," said Knuckles, smirking, "nice meeting you so early." He turned to go, taking Antoine with him, when Tails and Alana both got up to explain. He held his hand up without turning around, and said to them over his shoulder, "No need to explain. We didn't see anything."  
  
For once in his life, Tails was glad Knuckles was secretive...  
  



	7. How'd you know?

"(Foxy 'nd Snow-fur, si'in' by a tree,)" whispered Bunnie in a singsong voice, looking in as Tails lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling.  
  
"If you finish that!..." growled Tails, sitting up sharply.  
  
"Yu'll what?" she said, smirking, leaning casually on the window-sill.  
  
Tails thought of lots of things to say, but was so angry, he tried to say them all at once, and nearly suffocated in the process. He made up for this by fuming in silence, not looking at her, arms crossed.  
  
"Aw, don't get y'ur tails in a twist, foxy," she said, smirking. "Most people round here know what happ'ned already."  
  
"WHAT!?!" he yelped, snapping back to her. "How? Who? When? Where?"  
  
"Let's see, got told, Antoine, this morning, outside the mess hall." she recited, answering his questions, counting them off on her fingers.  
  
"I'll kill him. I'll KILL HIM!" he shouted, getting up and starting for the door. He would have got further if Bunnie hadn't leaned in, grabbed hold of his tails with her robotic hand and flung him back on the bed again.  
  
"Calm down, foxy," she said, holding him down. "No-one mind's or cares. They jest think it's swueet." she added, smiling at him.  
  
He looked at her skeptically, but eventually relaxed, murmuring about 'not supposed to be sweet'.  
  
"Sorry, foxy." she smiled. "That's the way they see it."  
  
She was quiet for a while, then she asked "How wus it?"  
  
He thought, and said, truthfully, "Cold..."  
  
"Well, she diyd come from the ar'tic."  
  
Antoine saw Tails again at dinner. He was slightly nervous, and with good reason. He had seen Tails angry before, and he didn't like it.  
  
"Calm down, Shugah," Bunnie said to him, as she stopped him, yet again, from putting salt in his drink. He was so anxious, he was getting mixed up. "He's over it."  
  
"Oui, but why deeed you have to tell him ai told eu? Eu could 'ave said that you 'erd it from someone he likes, nes-pa?"  
  
"Too late, shugah" she said, pointing to the doors. He looked round to find Tails coming through with a disgruntled look on his face. He looked at Antoine and it intensified. He went round the table and sat next to Antoine.  
  
Antoine looked to Bunnie for help, and nervously said "Err, B-bonjour, Tails"  
  
"Morning, Antwan." he said.  
  
"Err, look," he began, but Tails interrupted him.  
  
"It's okay"  
  
"But-"  
  
"It's okay! In fact," he said, looking at Antoine, smiling, "I 'ought to thank you."  
  
"Ai knows, bu-" he stopped and looked at him. "Excuse-moi?" he said, surprised.  
  
"Thanks to you, me and Alana don't have to keep it a secret." he replied, smiling more broadly.  
  
"Err, yur welcome!" he said, also smiling, but in disbelief.  
  
Just then, as if on cue, Alana came in. She looked round until she saw Tails and walked by him. She gave no signs she had seen him, except when she flicked his fringe with her tail, smiling.  
  
"(Ah think he likes you now.)" Whispered Bunnie, as Alana sat down next to Tails and held his hand. 


	8. Spill!

"So," said Tails, standing behind Alana, his arms around her waist, "What do you want to do?"  
  
There had been a storm overnight, and some of the houses had been wrecked.  
  
"Mmmmm..." she sighed, slipping her fingers round his wrists and looking back at him. "I dunno."  
  
They stood for a while, watching the others work. Then Alana smiled mischievously, and whispered to Tails her idea. He nodded back, smiling, and, walking slowly, they went along a woodland path, away from the others.  
  
Sonic looked up in time to see them sneaking away, tapped Sally on the shoulder, and pointed ay them. She smiled and looked at him. He nodded, put down his tools, and followed at a distance.  
  
As soon as they thought they were far enough away, they looked at each other and sat down. There were going to start when Tails stopped her. She looked puzzled.  
  
"This time, be careful of that tooth of yours." he smiled, tapping it. "It's sharp."  
  
She smirked and kissed him, carefully.  
  
This went on for some time, until they were interrupted by a voice.  
  
"Enjoying yourself, foxy?"  
  
Her blood ran cold and she froze.  
  
"(No...)" she whispered, terror in her voice.  
  
Tails stood up and shouted, "Show yourself, whoever you are!" He looked back down at Alana.  
  
She hadn't moved.  
  
He kneeled down, made her stand up and looked her in the face.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
She looked him in the eyes.  
  
"(He's found me...)"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"(Bancrek and his goons...)"  
  
"WHO???"  
  
She looked behind him and froze again. She stared, mouth open. Tails looked round to see two figures come from between the trees. One was a Tasmanian devil, dressed in a black T-shirt, embossed with skull-and-crossed-bones, green, ripped trousers, out of the bottom of which, a pair of clawed feet could be seen, and a gold wristband with a picture of an eye on it. His fur was brown, with white fur on his hands, and longish hair that fell over his red eyes.  
  
The other figure was a small echidna female, dressed in a bage, fur-lined, V-necked coat, under which a golden necklace, with a picture of the same eye on it, hung around her neck. She wore bage trousers, her tail (with two kinks in it, so it pointed back on itself) stuck out the back of it, and she had red shoes on. Her fur was light pink, her quills, around neck-length, were leveled off, so they were the same length.  
  
"Long time, no see, Alana." said the echidness, smiling at her darkly, staring at her with her green eyes.  
  
"(Zoi... Lucifer...)" she stammered, hiding behind Tails.  
  
"Bancrek's been worried about you, foxy." smirked Lucifer, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"Who are you, and what do you want with Alana?" growled Tails, stepping towards them.  
  
"Stay out of this, red." snarled Zoi, glaring at him. "This doesn't concern you."  
  
"It does now."  
  
"This is just like a movie," commented Lucifer, looking to Zoi. "We come along looking for her, he gets involved, now we have to kill him too."  
  
They turned to look at her, and closed their eyes. When they opened them, they were pitch black, like Alana's had been. Zoi's hands were glowing green, Lucifer's were red.  
  
"_Wait_."  
  
They stopped, looking above and behind them.  
  
"_I will do it_."  
  
Alana looked up. Suddenly she started screaming bloody murder. She fell to the ground and scrabbled away, still looking behind Tails.  
  
He looked up.  
  
And saw the most revolting thing he had ever seen.  
  
He saw a 7-foot long, scabby, serpentine worm, hovering in mid-air. Its head had two tiny red slits for eyes, two tiny fins underneath them, and at the front, it had mouth the size of a cartwheel, full of multiple, glass-sharp, 12-inch teeth.  
  
"_I promised I would hunt you down_." it sneered, giving Alana a murderous glare.  
  
"I-I t-told y-you..." she stammered out, tears filling her eyes, "I-I don't want to be p-part of this anymore..."  
  
Tails stood, transfixed, as the other two held him.  
  
"_YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!!!"_ It screeched at her. "_There is only one way out!!! MY WAY!!!"  
_  
Then it backed off a bit. Stared at her intently. Then it's mouth moved.  
  
The teeth inside started revolving. One row went one way, one went the other, faster and faster, until they were yellow blurs. It then pulled its head back, flicked its tail and shot forward at an incredible speed.  
  
She screamed as it came at her. Suddenly a blue blur came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of it. The Bancrek veered off course and rammed into the ground near her.  
  
"Try picking on someone you're own speed..." sneered Sonic, rubbing his knuckles smarmily on his chest.  
  
The other two stood, gaping as he hit the dirt. Tails took a chance, and jerked backwards, forcing his arms, and his captors together. The blow stunned them, and Tails ran over to Alana. "C'mon, we godda get out of here." He helped her up, and they ran aside.  
  
Once they were safe, Tails asked her "Alright, who is that, and why did he try and kill you?"  
  
She sighed, and looked away. "He's my former boss..."  
  
Confusion spread over his face. "What?????"  
  
She looked at him, tears in her eyes.  
  
"I guess I better tell you..."  
  
"Three years ago, me and my family lived in fear. Each week, a group of polar bears came and took all we had. If we hadn't got what they wanted, they hurt us. Bad. My brother could barely survive this. They did things to me... Things that they said pleased them...(She growled softly, an angry tear splashing on the grass) I would have given anything, for them to leave us alone...  
  
"This went on for two years, until I found a cavern. I went in, nervous. I didn't know why, but I had to go in. That was the biggest mistake of my life. I found Bancrek, almost dead under the ice. He asked me to get him out of there. I did. He asked me how he could repay me. I told him about the bears. He said he could help me. He told me to look where I dug him up. I found this headband, Lucifer's wristband and Zoi's necklace. I chose this. (She pointed at the one she had on) That gave me the amber blasts. I thanked him again and again. I went out, to teach the bears a lesson...  
  
"The next time they came, well, you can guess. But, once I started, I couldn't stop hurting people. Including my family... (Here tears started rolling down her face) That night, I tried to get it off, but without success. The next day, I moved out, for everyone's safety. I went to Bancreck's cave and told him about it. He said he would get it off, if I did a job for him. I did the job. It was horrible. I had to force two other people to work for him, making them wear the other items, as you saw. I brought them to him, but he had another job for me. And another. And another. After a year, I'd had enough. I tried to get out of it, but he wouldn't let me. Then I tried blasting him. He got mad. I escaped, hoping to leave them behind. But they've followed me. That's when I met-"  
  
"Us." said Tails  
  
She nodded, not looking at him.  
  
He cupped her face in his hand and made her look at him.  
  
"(I'm sorry)" she said, tears running down her face.  
  
"Don't" he replied.  
  
She smiled, then hugged him.  
  
"C'mon, Sonic'll need help..." 


	9. ATAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Meanwhile, hearing Alana's scream, the others dropped their tools and rushed to help. They arrived in time to see Sonic pummel a giant worm in the head, two animals sitting up, rubbing their heads and Alana running away with Tails.  
  
"Whut in the who-ha is that thang?" asked Bunnie, wrinkling her nose in disgust.  
  
The Bancrek pulled its face from the ground, shook the loose earth away, and glared at the newcomers, snarling.  
  
"_Stay out of this, worms!! This is between me and the spike ball!!!"_ it hissed.  
  
"He's calling us worms?" said Knuckles, raising an eyebrow. "Now that's insulting."  
  
"Let'z even ze odds a beet." remarked Antoine, pulling his sword out, but backing away slowly.  
  
"_You don't stand a chance_," it laughed. "_Get them_!"  
  
At that the other two rushed at them.  
  
Knuckles ran to Lucifer, fists swinging. Lucifer was inches away when he dropped to the ground and rolled towards the echidna, knocking his legs from under him. Knuckles fell face first to the ground as the devil clawed for his back. He flipped over and hammered his foot at the devil's neck. He connected, sending Lucifer skidding over the ground on his stomach towards Antoine. The devil glanced up and sank its claws into his leg. The fox howled in pain as Lucifer stood up, ripping skin as the weight of the fox rested on the claws. Antoine, though, didn't lose his head for a moment. He un-sheathed his sword, and swiped at him, slicing his arm open. The devil dropped him, clutching at his limb. His eyes turned back to their usual red in shock. He looked at Antoine, fear in his eyes.  
  
Meanwhile, Zoi had rushed at Bunnie, fists blazing. She suddenly leaned forward, placed her hands on the floor, lifted her legs up and pushed herself into the air. All this was done in about 3 seconds, while running at the rabbot. Bunnie looked up to see Zoi throwing a ball of green fire at her. Bunnie only just managed to flip aside as the sphere exploded above the ground, incinerating the nearby trees. Zoi landed on one foot in front of her, smirking.  
  
"_Yanar nahara, Na ha Pida_!" she said, staring at her through narrowed eyes, balancing gracefully.  
  
"Say that again' in English, would ya', hon?" Bunnie said, throwing a punch at her with her robotic arm.  
  
"It means 'Let's not scar that pretty face.'" she replied, leaning backwards 'Matrix-style', grabbing the arm, and pulling the rabbot over her head to land painfully behind her.  
  
"Thanks foar the complemant." she replied, kicking her robotic foot around to connect with her leg. She heard it snap over the echidness's cry of pain. She turned to look at her, her eyes turned back to the green they were before, now filled with sorrow.  
  
At the same time, Sonic and Sally were battling the Bancrek. Sonic had rolled himself into the spin-dash, rushing through the grass at the worm. The worm reared its ugly head, teeth whirring. At the last second, Sonic bounced up, smashing into him underneath the mouth. It flew back, narrowly missing Sally as it crashed into the ground. Sally jumped back, whipping out N.I.C.O.L.E. and sent an electric shock through the Bancrek. It snapped its tail at her, knocking her flying. It turned to the hedgehog, lunging at him, teeth spinning. It shredded the ground where the Sonic had been mili-seconds before. Sonic turned and spun-dashed up its tail towards the head. It dipped and raised its head quickly, sending a wave down its body. It threw the hedgehog off balance, causing him to spin-dash into a tree. He slid down and unrolled, upside-down and dazed. It flicked its tail and rushed at him.  
  
"_Say goodbye to this world, spike ball!!!"_ It shrieked, in a voice of pure hatred. Sonic came round in time to see a blur of foot-long teeth in front of his fac-  
  
WHAM! It richoshaded away into a boulder as a green ball, a red ball and an amber ball smashed into it. They all heard the sickening 'crunch' as it collided. It crumpled to the floor, yellow-green pus leaking out of the corners of the eyes, leaving yellow-green slime that came out the mouth smeared on the rock. They looked to the source of the help. They saw Alana, Zoi and Lucifer standing there, hands smoking... 


	10. Ending

"I made this for you." said Tails, self-consciously, handing her a box.  
  
It was a few weeks after the death of Bancrek. The items that Alana, Zoi and Lucifer had been forced to wear had come loose, triggered by the killing of the worm. They hadn't wanted them, with good reason. They gave them to Knuckles to destroy, but neither he nor Bunnie could do it, so they decided to bury them, as deep as they could, with a warning scratched into them.  
  
"What is it?" Alana asked, looking at him.  
  
"Open it and see!" said Tails obviously.  
  
She did, and inside was a gold headband.  
  
"I made it to act looked like your old one, " he said looking at the ground and examining his shoes. "With one difference: It won't control you, but you'll control it."  
  
He was met with silence, and when he looked up, he saw her smiling, lost for words. She put it on, and it sparkled in the sunlight.  
  
"You look as beautiful as ever." he said, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.  
  
She stood up and hugged him, tears in her eyes, but still smiling.  
  
"(Thank you...)" she whispered.  
  
"(Love you)." he said.  
  
"(Love you too)." she replied, her tears now gone.  
  
She pulled away a little.  
  
"(But y' know what?)" She whispered in his ear, smirking. "(I bet I get to the practice range before you with this on.)"  
  
She then pushed him away, laughing, running to the range.  
  
"Oh yeah?" yelled Tails, running after her, laughing also.  
  
They chased each other, laughing all the while.  
  
Zoi sat on the front step of her new house, looking at them sadly, now wearing the same trousers, but a bage T-shirt and sandals borrowed from the various girls in Knothole, her leg in a cast from where Bunnie had kicked it.  
  
"Lucky girl..." she sighed, leaning on her elbows as Tails tackled her.  
  
"He-llo."  
  
She turned to see Lucifer next to her, smiling, his arm in a sling. She frowned and looked away.  
  
"But there's no use discussing my feelings with you though," she murmured angrily, half-talking to him. "As you said, 'you aren't interested, we aren't a couple,-'"  
  
He knelt down and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"'This isn't a time to get intimate.'" she said, oblivious to his action. "'Thi-'" She stopped, her expression set to ' O.O '. She touched her fingers to the spot of the kiss. She looked around to him, a disbelieving look on her face. He smiled at her, eyebrow raised.  
  
"As I said." he smiled, sitting next to her. "I _wasn't_ interested, we _weren't_ a couple and that _wasn't_ the time to get intimate." He smiled, inches away from her face. "But now, it's different-" he leant forward and kissed her properly. She closed her eyes, getting what she had always wanted. After a minute, he pulled back and said "-_'Heros'_..."  
  
She gaped at him, smiling. "I didn't know you spoke Egyptian!"  
  
He smile grew wider. "You never asked..."  
  
She playfully hit him. He grabbed her arms and put them around his neck.  
  
"(_'Nat gehiyal'_...)" he whispered, gazing into her eyes.  
  
"(Now it's your turn...)" she translated to herself, moving closer...  
  
The End.  
  
Alright, now for the legal things. Sonic, Sally, Tails, Knuckles, Bunnie and Antoine are © characters of Sega and Archie comics. Alana and Bancrek are © to me. 


End file.
